Agim Musliu, an expert on security issues, commented on the recent visit of CIA Director William Burns to the Balkans (Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia), describing it as a clear signal to Serbia and its leader, Aleksandar Vučić.
According to Musliu, this visit reaffirmed the United States’ friendship with Kosovo and placed significant pressure on Vučić to choose between the West and the East.
“In Serbia, it is not known what was discussed. It is a big question mark. Because, in my opinion, there is a significant concern. The West and the United States have invested a lot in Serbia, both economically and politically. To recover and perhaps to repay some moral debt and other things. But throughout this time, the Serbian president has been playing with two cards, on two axes—both with NATO and the EU and with Russia…
I believe that, given the level represented by Mr. Burns, this is the last moment that Aleksandar Vučić should take very seriously and wake up; either with the West or with the East… do you want prosperity and development, or do you want disappearance, to disappear economically and politically, in every aspect,” Musliu stated.
According to Musliu, Dodik changed his stance by 180 degrees after meeting with Burns, shifting from warlike rhetoric to an engagement against terrorism and organized crime.
“Dodik is a political thug; no one takes him seriously. No one on the street, let alone in the world of politics and diplomacy. He is a loudspeaker for Vučić who doesn’t know what he is doing; he is corrupted and blackmailed in every aspect. Let’s say that even during the conversation with Mr. Burns, it was said that he would open Twitter and send a message while speaking. That is how much authority he has with his supposed partners. After the meeting with Burns, his axis of action changed by 180 degrees. It was said that they would fight terrorism, organized crime, and other things. Before that, a day earlier, Dodik’s rhetoric was ‘we want war, we want separation’… a completely different approach to action,” Musliu added.
Furthermore, Musliu stated that the CIA Director’s visit to Kosovo seals the good relations between the U.S. and Kosovo.
“His visit sealed the relations between Kosovo and the U.S., which are strongly connected and irreplaceable in the region. Kosovo and the U.S. have an unbreakable friendship; they are Kosovo’s greatest friend, they have helped in the declaration of independence, state-building, and the strengthening of institutional capacities, especially those of intelligence,” Musliu said, among other things.
